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British Bites: Crumpets

If soft butter had a true soul mate, it would be the crumpet. Each crumpet is filled with tiny crevices that, when warmed, become the ideal space to fill with butter. There are few things better first thing in the morning than a warm crumpet, a pot of tea, and butter.

Crumpets are made of a yeast-based batter that is cooked in ring molds on a griddle. The batter is almost sweet, which comes from the addition of just a bit of powdered milk. That also helps the final product keep the soft texture that this bread is known for.

Actually cooking crumpets is a tad tricky, mostly because of the amount of patience necessary to get the final product you're looking for. The ring molds are greased and then placed on the low-heated griddle; once you add the batter you need to patiently wait for the crumpet to cook through before removing the ring, or you will end up with a pancake, not a crumpet.

These wonderful little buns take a bit of time to make, but they are perfect for those dreary Sunday mornings when anything other than a pot of tea and a newspaper seems overwhelming. And between mixing the batter, putting it ring molds, and checking on it every few minutes there's not that much to do. So settle in and get ready to feast on some of the best butter-soaked bread you've ever had.